China ordains third bishop without Pope's approval

BEIJING (Reuters) - China ordained a third bishop without the Pope's approval on Thursday, the honorary president of the state-backed church said, in a move likely to further strain tense relations between the Chinese government and the Vatican.

Two other sources, who declined to be identified, told Reuters that Huang's ordination was a public ceremony attended by about 1,000 people.

Eight bishops loyal to the Holy See participated in the ceremony, a source close to the Vatican told Reuters, citing six sources who had direct knowledge of the situation. He declined to be named, citing the sensitivity of the matter.

"All 8 bishops were requested by civil authorities to go and ordain the new illicit bishop," said the source. "All of them were accompanied by the police to the place of the event. The majority of the bishops refused and resisted to go."

Calls made to Huang's church in Shantou went unanswered.

The ordination is the latest in a long-running dispute between the Vatican and Beijing over the status of China's state-backed Church, which has disregarded injunctions not to name bishops without papal authorization.

China's 8 to 12 million Catholics are divided between the state-sanctioned church that names bishops without the Vatican's approval and an underground church wary of government ties.
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